Photo: Snapped! by Becca Clark

The goal of every cheerleader is to keep levelling up until they make it on a Worlds team. This may happen very quickly for some but for most, it takes many years. Below are some ways to speed up the levelling up process so you can make your dream team next season!

Master the Basics

I can’t stress how important this one is!!! Building a solid foundation of tumbling skills will allow for extremely quick progress. It may take years to perfect the foundations, so be patient. It will all pay off in the end. Some skills you should master include the handstand, jumping & landing technique, front/back rolls, cartwheels and round offs.

Get on a Progressive Training Plan

Following a progressive strength and/or flexibility program will improve your overall athletic ability very quickly. If you can stick to a plan for an entire season that’s designed to progress you up to a certain level, you’ll already be at the right place once it’s time for tryouts.

Put in Extra Time

Only training during practice time may not be enough. Most teams practice 2-3 times a week for about 2-3 hours at a time. If you’re looking to move up to a higher level as fast as possible, I recommend training a minimum of 6-8 hours a week on skills, conditioning and flexibility alone, if not more hours… even up to 20+! You’ll see insane progress if you bump up your training time and training quality. A large chunk of the time should be dedicated to strength training, flexibility training and tumbling.